World on Fire Read online

  “I have a list of suspected and known operatives of Cassander who can be eliminated without worry of anyone taking notice. He has a number of higher-level allies whose disappearance would raise suspicion, however, and I will deal with them personally. We must take care of his foot soldiers before I can put my plan into effect. You two will shadow and track these cockroaches for the next few weeks in order to determine the best way to eliminate as many as possible on the eve of our move against Cassander.”

  “I discreetly own several apartments throughout the city and have a few criminals on my payroll that will be at your disposal should you need them. There is also a concealed entrance to this dwelling that is unknown by anyone except my sole house servant. You two will exit through this passageway tonight so you know its location and will use it from now on when meeting with me. I will determine our meeting schedules by lighting the torch on my second-floor balcony facing east at noon. You must ensure you check each day at noon to determine whether it is lit. It can be seen for some distance so you will not have to be close to my home. If it is lit, you will know to meet me via the passageway that evening two hours past dusk. If either of you need to contact me, purchase a jug of wine from a local tavern and pay them to send a runner to my home for delivery. This act will signal your need to meet with me immediately and will alert me you are presently on the other side of the passageway awaiting entry. However, only use this option in case of a true emergency. Understood?”

  Polyperchon handed us a list of six names with various identifying information and intelligence on where to acquire them. He brought us up to the second-floor balcony and pointed out where the torch would be lit to signal a meeting for that evening. We then shared a jug of excellent wine from the Italian Peninsula before he led us to the cellar and opened a sturdy wooden door leading to a dank corridor lined with brick. We followed our guide about one hundred feet until we came to another wooden door. Polyperchon unlocked it and we entered the cellar of a separate residence. Ascending to the first floor, we found ourselves in a small, unfurnished apartment located on the same block as Polyperchon’s residence. He provided us a key to the small dwelling and reinforced the necessity to keep this passage inconspicuous. He shook our hands and thanked us for our commitment to the cause. We took our leave and purchased a jug of wine before returning to our apartment.

  “No merriment for us in the taverns and brothels,” Vettias stated as he poured two cups of wine and proposed a toast. “I’m too known around here and our mission is too important. Your ugly face will have to suffice as my only company for the next several weeks.”

  “Polyperchon certainly has grand ideas,” I stated. “Is it possible he can become the next Regent of the Kings?”

  “I put our chances above where they were at Triparadeisus, but not much. And remember, Queen Adea resides within those walls,” Vettias responded while motioning toward the royal palace sitting atop Pella. “She may again prove useful if Polyperchon’s designs require a palace insider. Her humbling in Triparadeisus will assure she listens to reason this time. She knows her current situation will become dire if Cassander succeeds his father. That very real possibility will mean further marginalization and eventual banishment or death. You’re going to be the one to talk to her this time since I can’t go anywhere near the palace. Tomorrow we’ll familiarize ourselves with the city and begin working on Polyperchon’s list the following day. So, let’s get drunk tonight and tomorrow we’ll go to work.”

  The next morning I woke to find Vettias had already washed, dressed and dined. “Still can’t hold your wine?” Vettias taunted as I hurriedly prepared for the day. I had only been awake for about seven minutes by the time we exited our quarters to begin our familiarization. Pella’s population had swelled since Alexander’s conquest and Antipater had managed the city’s rise to prominence well. Vettias and I were able to get lost in the sea of people present on almost every major street. The agora was bustling with hundreds of citizens and lined with several stores selling all manner of items. The diverse inventory of these vendors had no doubt increased substantially after Alexander’s campaigns and they now sold goods from every corner of the world. We walked through the large boulevards running through the city center, the clean avenues of Pella’s temples and prominent homes, the cluttered streets of the city’s taverns and brothels, as well as the large network of back alleyways connecting everything together. We took note of all obscure alleys, dark corridors, congested thoroughfares and desolate side streets to utilize during our campaign against Orontes and Cassander.

  “Our targets may be low-level agents, but they will have at least some semblance of awareness as to whether they are being followed,” Vettias cautioned while we traversed the city. “It will be more difficult than our exercises of shadowing unsuspecting citizens back in Tarsus. Now that we have become familiar with our new surroundings we’ll finish the day with some advanced shadowing exercises. I want you to follow me and pay close attention to all the times I lay eyes on you through the course of my seemingly innocuous activities. Use this exercise to better keep yourself inconspicuous tomorrow. Since our targets will not know they are being shadowed we will have the advantage. Since we cannot have them describe me to their superiors in the chance they do discover us, however, you will be conducting the close-in work of maintaining visual contact as much as possible. Today will assist you in this task. Remember, the longer we remain in Pella, the higher the probability becomes we could be shadowed ourselves – so keep that in mind as well.”

  The remaining daylight was spent performing these exercises. The greater difficulty of maintaining sight of someone who thinks they might be followed was as Vettias described. Several times he would be staring directly at me while performing some normal task, such as speaking with a street vendor or drinking from a fountain. We continued my lesson as night fell which brought a new set of variables to contend with. I quickly learned the importance of being aware of my surroundings and the necessity to blend into a crowd at a moment’s notice. I also learned the significance of choosing a smart route when attempting to uncover someone following you and the importance of what ‘normal’ looks like. We concluded the evening with dinner at a vacant establishment on a small side street near our quarters.

  ****

  The next morning Vettias and I both rose early to acquire and shadow our first target. Polyperchon had obtained the location of his domicile and we lingered at a venue selling food which held a line of sight to his small building of crowded apartments. We sat at different tables to avoid anyone associating us and waited for the man described on Polyperchon’s scroll to appear. After about an hour we spotted a man fitting his description entering the building – signaling he did not spend the night there. Vettias and I remained for another hour before deciding to change our location for fear of raising any suspicions by loitering too long.

  “We’re going to have to determine where he spends his evenings,” Vettias muttered as we browsed a number of street merchants nearby. We chose to sit at another venue close by and wait for our target to emerge. After another hour the man departed the dwelling and Vettias motioned to me that it was time to put my training to use. As I got up to follow him, the man suddenly stopped at a food stand to purchase a bit of fruit. I awkwardly did the same at a vendor several feet behind him and continued my shadowing when he continued walking.

  The mid-morning streets he traveled were crowded, making it easy to avoid detection. He turned off a congested avenue down a vacant alley, however, which caused me to halt and wave off Vettias. If he were to look back at that moment he would clearly see me – only me, causing him to possibly become suspicious and alert his network. I peeked around the corner and watched him turn left onto another larger street. As he did so I raced down the empty corridor and turned left to regain sight of him. The road was busy and relocating him was difficult. Fortunately, I caught a glimpse of his profile just as he turned into a butchery.

  Believin
g he was patronizing the establishment, I stood and waited for him to exit. After ten minutes, however, I walked past the butchery and did not see him. Fearing he had successfully lost me, I entered the establishment to find he was working in the back of the store. He did not seem to notice me and I avoided looking at him. The woman standing at the counter took a great interest in me, however, and began peppering my unfamiliar face with questions. I bought a small amount of meat to shut her up and quickly departed to report back to Vettias.

  “Arriving at work this late in the morning points to a drunkard. It’s very likely the man spent last night at a brothel or in a ditch. We’ll wait for him to depart to determine which establishment he frequents. We’ll pick him up there tomorrow morning and follow him back to his residence. This street has many storefronts which will allow us to linger unnoticed for quite some time. Let us grab some food and drink at that establishment,” Vettias suggested, pointing to a small food vendor.

  Vettias and I split up for the remainder of the day and patronized just about every storefront and food cart on the busy street. I was learning first-hand how tedious it was to surreptitiously study a stranger’s pattern of life. As dusk approached, our target exited his butchery. I spotted him first, and ran over to Vettias to alert him I was resuming the shadow. Our mark took us down less congested streets, making it more difficult to blend in with our surroundings. I observed him entering a medium-sized tavern from a distance and motioned Vettias to approach.

  “I’ll go in since there’s a good chance he caught a glimpse of you in the butchery,” Vettias decided. “I’ll meet you in the adjacent tavern after I’m satisfied this is where he spends his evenings. I’ll follow him if he departs so just wait here and avoid talking to anyone or getting too drunk.” I obeyed Vettias’ instructions and sat patiently by myself in the adjoining establishment for three hours until Vettias’ return.

  “There’s a very good chance this is where we’ll find our target if he is not at his home,” Vettias surmised. He apparently has a favorite girl who works there so he probably spends a lot of time and money at this tavern. We’ll pick him up again early tomorrow morning and follow him again for the remainder of the day. Afterwards, we’ll make our notes and move on to the next name on the list. Let us depart and get some sleep. We’ll be here at dawn in case he decides to get to work at the proper hour. The storefront across the street should offer us the required cover since his attention will be down due to intoxication and the need to rush home.” We did as Vettias instructed the following morning and wrote down our notes that evening after watching him perform a similar routine throughout the day.

  ****

  The next week was spent in much the same manner. We would attempt to acquire our target in the morning using Polyperchon’s information and follow them throughout the day. Some days we were unlucky in locating our target. Other days they were exactly where Polyperchon said they would be. After watching them for two or three days we would write down all we had learned and move on to our next target. It was taxing work but as the days wore on I became more comfortable shadowing people and was able to act more naturally while performing the unnatural act. We took varying routes to check Polyperchon’s balcony torch each day and always ensured we were not being followed ourselves. After about one week the signal was lit on Polyperchon’s balcony and Vettias and I made ready to meet our contact that evening.

  CHAPTER 3

  We took a circuitous route to the small apartment and unlocked its front door after ensuring no other people were around. The unlit dwelling was pitch black and we felt our way downstairs to the cellar where Vettias lit a torch. I unlocked the passageway’s wooden door which creaked open – creating a loud echo down the long dank corridor. We gave the predetermined knock on the wooden door at the opposite end of the hallway and heard it immediately unlock and lurch open. Polyperchon’s servant greeted us on the other side, with a torch in one hand and a drawn short sword in the other.

  “Be at ease, this is protocol,” the servant assured. He escorted us through the cellar and up to the residence’s main floor. We were ushered to the same study as before where we found Polyperchon, seated in the same chair, holding a cup of wine. The servant quickly departed after announcing our presence and closed the door behind him.

  “So, how do you find Macedon’s greatest city – the seat of all power in the known world?” Polyperchon asked with a little sarcasm. “Not exactly Babylon is it? How do my operatives fare in their task?”

  “Making good progress,” Vettias answered. “You gave us an excellent head start and I expect we should be finished in the next two weeks. At that time I feel confident we will be in a position to eliminate most, if not all, on the eve of your plot.”

  “Good. I summoned you here to discuss my progress and where we currently stand with father and son. Since Antipater departed for Triparadeisus last year, I’ve been slowly orchestrating an attempt on his life. My poor assassin believes he is working for Cassander’s operatives and has no knowledge of my involvement. To the contrary, he has been ordered to kill me as well. I will arrange for the attack to be thwarted after trying to get myself injured in the process to further sell the ruse. On the eve of this attack you will eliminate as many of Cassander’s operatives as possible.”

  “I will have damning evidence planted in Cassander’s quarters which will come to light during our attacker’s interrogation,” Polyperchon continued. “I will ensure all this occurs while Cassander is off on one of his frivolous hunting expeditions and make certain Antipater is present during my agent’s interrogation. Assuming the old man doesn’t have a heart attack and I am successful in convincing Antipater of his son’s culpability in the attack, I will be well positioned to be named Successor.”

  “Until this happens,” Polyperchon continued, “I will arrange to be made in charge of the investigation into the assassination plot and utilize the palace’s guard to eliminate Cassander’s foothold within the higher ranks. When I am confident I am to be named Successor, I will have the old man put it in writing and then eliminate him.”

  “Sir, might I suggest an angle that may assist in your maneuverings within the palace?” Vettias interjected.

  “Very well.”

  “As you know, Queen Adea is a notorious adversary to Antipater, especially after the events of Triparadeisus. During our time there, we were integral in aiding her attempt to incite the Royal Army to her cause before Antipater’s arrival. Although we were eventually unsuccessful, it did achieve a tertiary goal of further alienating the Queen from the Regent. Adea and I spoke on two occasions and I can assess confidently that she trusts me to be her ally. If someone you trust were to make contact with her, you will find a willing participant eager to strike out at our enemies with excellent placement and access throughout the palace. She can assist with planting damning evidence within Cassander’s quarters or eliminating the old man himself.”

  “She’s young and has much to learn, but her intelligence and passions cannot be underestimated. Using my name as the interlocutor will also further shield you from suspicion. Since I cannot be seen within the palace, Andrikos will speak with her. He was in her presence in Triparadeisus and whatever trust she has in me will be conferred on him as well.”

  “A clever perspective, Vettias. I hear you served well in Triparadeisus despite the overall outcome. The girl may prove valuable and would serve as a useful resource. In fact, Cassander may just as soon accuse her of plotting the crime as he would me. I will have someone make inroads to her tomorrow. If she’s willing, my people can get Andrikos inside to meet with her.”

  I felt sorry for this poor girl who was so often the object of intrigue and manipulation by men with designs of murder. If she wasn’t so strong of heart and will, she surely would have been dead by now. I also felt a little nervous that a potentially important part of their overall plot was going to fall on my shoulders.

  “Once I am named Successor I will name General Eume
nes Royal General of Asia and grant him the power to draw from the royal treasuries in Cilicia. I will also order the Silver Shields, the most loyal supporters of the Argeads remaining, to attach themselves to General Eumenes’ army. That should give him the legitimacy and money necessary to swell his ranks and keep those damn fickle Macedonian veterans behind him.”

  Polyperchon’s words educed a trance-like state in me at the mention of the Silver Shields and I heard nothing after that – if he were to order the Silver Shields to join with our army, I would be reunited with Mara. My resolve to see this plan through amplified one hundred fold. I came back to reality as Vettias called my name for the second time to instruct me we had been dismissed and were returning to our quarters.

  As Polyperchon’s servant locked the wooden door behind us, Vettias turned to me as we walked down the long corridor. “You can’t even hear the name Silver Shields anymore without becoming some pathetic sap in a love daze? And in front of a man as important as General Polyperchon!”

  “I apologize for my lapse. The possibility of our army joining with them caught me completely by surprise, as if he had struck me on the nose.”

  “He should have. You need to keep your wits about you. Did you not hear the significance of coming events?”

  “You have my word,” I assured. “In fact, this news has propelled me to an even greater level of intensity to see we are successful. Besides, is it not to our advantage to have an agent so deeply embedded into the Silver Shields’ leadership?”

  “Of course it is – that is why I was eager to let her go with Captain Hyllos in the first place. She will be an asset if she still holds a favorable opinion of us. She may hold a grudge if her time with Hyllos has been distasteful.”